Election booth



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(N0 mam. 0. H. HASSELMAN.

ELECTION BOOTH,

No. 494,808. Patented A r; 4, 1893.

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0; H. H'ASSELMAN.

ELECTION BOOTH. No. 494,808. Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

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NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

OTTO H. HASSELMAN, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

ELECTION-BOOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,808, dated April 4:, 1893.

Application filed October 14,1890. Serial No. 368,058. (No model.)

citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county ofMarion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Election-Booths, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to that class of structures known as election booths for the use of voters at elections under what is known as the Australian system, and its object is to produce such a structure which maybe conveniently and economically manufactured in quantities, and sold ready-made, and which may also be conveniently packed for storage, or for shipment from place to place.

Said invention consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure l is a perspective view of a series tional view of the same, on the line of the shelf which serves as a desk for the use of the voter; Fig. 4 a front elevation of one booth; Fig. 5 a detail interior perspective view, showing particularly the method of securing the sides and backs together, and Fig. 6 a similar view showing the method of hanging the curtains which serve to close the entrance to the booths.

A convenient arrangement for election booths of this character is to make three booths in one structure, and I have illustrated a structure embodying this number. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to a'particular number of booths in one structure, as obviously, within reasonable limits, the number can be varied at pleasure. It will be understood, of course, that in packing this structure for storage, or for shipment,

all the several parts are laid flat together, after the structure has been taken down. It

is thus what is known as a knock-down structure.

In the drawings the portions marked A represent the panels forming the sides and partitions of the booth structure; B the panels forming the backs; O the curtains, or doors to the booths, and D a shelf which preferably extends throughout the entire length of the structure and forms a connecting rail for holding the structure together, and also the shelves or desks for the use of rhevoters.

The sidesA and backsB may be constructed in any desired manner. I have shown them as constructed of boards held together by cleats a and I). These sides and backs, or such of them as may be necessary, are rabbeted on the edges, leaving recesses into which the edges of others may fit, as shown most plainly in Figs.2 and 3. By this means cracks between the compartments are guarded against, which, if permitted, would leave spaces through which ballots might be passed from one booth to another, thus rendering it possible to defeat the object of the law under which elections of this character are held. Nhere two or more boards are used in making the sides and panels, they are tongued and grooved for a similar reason. The cleats a and b are so arranged as to form stops against which the other parts abut when the parts forming the structure are assembled together, and said parts are held together by hasps b and eyes a,they being a cheap and efficient device for the purpose. The sides and partitions A also have slits out in from the rear edges to receive the shelf D, as will be presently described.

The curtains C have rods or bars C at their upper edges, from which they are suspended, and to the ends of these rods or bars are secured flanges c which engage with sockets c on the sides A. They are so arranged as to protect the voter from view while inside the booth, and are easily put into and removed from place in erecting and taking down the structure. The bars 0' thus not only serve as curtain-rods, but as front rails to the booths. The shelf D is a little longer than the sum of the widths of the several booths or compartments. As before stated, the sides and partitions A have slits which extend into their rear sides, and into which this shelf extends. Said slits, however, are preferably not so deep as the width of this shelf, and the front edges of said shelf, and the points where it and said sides come together, also have slits equal in width to the remainder of its width, as indiby Letters Patent, is-

cated in the drawings. The ends extend through. tothe outside and have cleats d' which hook over said sides, and there are also similar cleats d secured to said shelf at points thereon which come next to the sides and partitions A. The slits in the sides and partitions should be only wide enough to receive the shelf, which should fit tightly therein, and, as will be readily understood, when this shelf is forced into place in its slits, and these cleats are brought against the sides and partitions A, said sides and partitions are thereby held quite rigidly in position.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure 1. The combination, in arvoting, booth, of thesides and partitions having slits extends ing in substantially horizontally from their 1;

' hand and seal, atludianapolis, Indiana, this 10th day of October, A. D. 1890.

rear edges, and aishelf inserted in said slits, which is thereby enabled to serve both as a shelf or desk for-thev0ters,.and as a rail or bar to assist in securing the structure to I gethenand holding itin position for use, sub mi stantially as set forth. 2; The combinationfin a voting booth, of

, sides and backs'secured together forming sevreceive saidfianges, said rod being thus adapted to serve not only as a rod for the curtain but also as a rail whereby the sides are socured to position, said several parts beingcenwstructed, arranged, and operating substang tially-asshown and described. a

In wilt-nesswhereof I ha've'hereunto set my OTTO H. HASSEL'MAN. [L.S.] 

